“One afternoon in the sanctuary just in prayer that I felt a call to ministry and I was scared to death,“ said Rev. Michelle Buckles, Pastor at Cherokee United Methodist Church in Johnson City. She was scared to death because she knew she was about to join a calling not known to many women. “I’d only had one or two models for that in the church that I grew up,“ said Buckles.

Her journey has not been easy. When she interviewed for her first Associate Pastor position in Georgia, the Personnel Chairperson questioned her ability as a woman to server as pastor. “Let’s suppose you get pregnant, and let’s suppose that you deliver early and you’re not even able to stay with us the full term you thought you would be able to,“ said Rev. Buckles.

Nearly two years ago, Doctor Randy Frye appointed her as head pastor of the 500 member Cherokee United Methodist Church. “She didn’t determine her gender, but she felt god’s call,“ said Dr. Frye. As the Superintendent for the United Methodist Church in the Johnson City district, he is working to help women break the stained glass ceiling. “We are a part of the bible belt, the south…in other areas of the united states..women have served in large pulpits for a long time, but we’ve been slower to move in that direction,“ said Dr. Frye.

About one fifth of the clergy members in Dr. Frye’s district are women. Compare that to the number of women attending the services, and you’ve got a major discrepancy. “The irony is in many of our churches the women are in most of the leadership positions…except for pastor,“ said Dr. Frye. But, perhaps, a new generation for women will see that position, after seeing Rev. Buckles and her nine fellow female pastors on Sundays. “Now they understand, that if they feel a call to ministry, that it’s possible,“ said Rev. Buckles.